23 May - Walk above Llanca

We had been intending to do a walk up high in the Tech Valley, but the weather looked iffy, so I found a loop track based from Llanca on the Costa Brava, north of Roses, Spain. I put the gpx file on my phone so we could find our way in Locus Map, and we were off, rather late due to the change in plans.

It proved excellent. We parked the car in a supermarket car park at noon, picked up some nibbles to keep us going until what we knew would be a late lunch, though late lunches are not normally an issue in Spain. We worked our way through the old part of the town to the coastal GR92. It looked like quite a nice little town, and is a sister to Port de Llanca which is much more developed and full of restaurants.

The coastal track was lovely. It was much less up and down than much of the route further south, and we enjoyed working our way along it on what turned out to be a lovely warm and clear day.

Typical Costa Brava coastline

At Port de la Selva we turned inland towards the tiny village of La Vall de Santa Creu, where we hoped to get lunch at Restaurant La Vall. Unfortunately we had walked up the road quite some distance before we realised we should have taken a nice little track on the other side of the valley, one which eventually also forks off to the amazing Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. It was too late to cross over so we struggled up the road in the hot sun. It was 28 degrees! Lovely smells coming from the restaurant as we approached, but despite that it turned out that it hadn't yet opened for the season, and we were forced to eat our emergency pastries instead.

The track above the little village became very steep, the day very hot, and we found the going quite tough for a while until it flattened out, eventually to reach a col where the track worked its way down again to Llanca. We had lovely views back to the monastery, and were often walking through quite tall drystone walls, with ancient terraces all around. We presume that they had been for grapes or perhaps olives, though there was no sign of either left behind. One odd thing on the way down was a huge area of olives, entirely fenced by old bed frames, some hundreds of them.

Rough hills, rough track and Monastir de Sant Pere de Rodes high on the hills on the right

Bed frame fences!

The flowers were lovely. We hadn't walked much in spring in the Pyrenees or Costa Brava, and it was quite different to summer. The sweet smell of broom was everywhere.

Back down to the car and we headed into Port de Llanca, hoping that 3:45pm was not too late to start lunch, but it was. We were able to find a tapas bar open, and after a beer to quench our thirst, managed a plate of calamari and another of tiny fried fish. Both were delicious. An ice cream to finish and we were well fed and watered.

We'd hoped to catch a little sunshine on a beach on the way back up the coast, but the forecast cloud finally made its way to the coast too, and we simply drove back.

A very good day out.

20-22 May Getting into the Walking

Sunday dawned - it was time to get back into some serious walking. We're very keen to explore the countryside like we did last year, with plenty of 12-16 kilometre walks. A reasonable re-introduction was the Hauts de Ceret route, a loop up in the hills behind Ceret which takes just under 2 hours. We cut that out easily, following it up with a coffee at Bar Pablo to rehydrate. We managed to pick a nice number of ripe and juicy cherries from trees overhanging the track along the way. The 'hunter gatherer' mode kicks in pretty quickly when we are here. We're already planning a walk much further up in the Pyrenees where we should be able to crop raspberries in July or August, and in another location in September where we know there will be vast numbers of blackberries. October is the season for scouting for cepes, the local favoured breed of mushrooms.

A local 'serpent' we frightened off his or her sunny perch beside the track

Sustenance along the way

Monday saw us take a step up with relaunching our 1hr walks which include 3 to 4 30-second sprints (HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training). We've found it is the best way to achieve and maintain fitness. It was pretty ugly. It's probably 3 weeks since our last sessions in Nelson and our edge has seriously been eroded. However, at least we did it and we now have a benchmark showing how much we can improve. Needless to say, the rest of the day was fairly quiet and revolved around trying to decide on a trip itinerary for where to go when our apartment is rented out from mid-July until mid-August. We so enjoyed our tour around Brittany last year when the same thing happened, that we are planning to do a similar trip this time, but in Rhones-Alpes and Alsace areas, in NE France. Our focus will be on doing some decent walks in the Alps. 

More sustenance - how's that for size. About NZ$3.

We enjoyed our first apero (drinks and nibbles) since our return with a delightful French couple on Sunday evening. They had bought the apartment immediately below our first one, in Place d'Eglise. We got to know them well then and also spent a few days with them in their holiday house in the Limousin two years age.  We get together whenever they are in Ceret visiting family. They live in Paris. Their younger son stayed with us for a few days in Nelson when he was travelling around NZ earlier this year. Anyway, we had a very enjoyable few hours, speaking mainly in French. Another couple also arrived - he was a Brit but born to a French mother and she was Kenyan. They now live here and run a business looking after holiday houses.

We had planned a long walk for today but the forecast was rain and our bodies were keen to stay in bed as long as possible. In the end we opted for an hour's walk in the countryside above Ceret, and of course the sun remained blazing so we didn't need to worry about the weather. 

Flowering roses are everywhere. They are simply gorgeous.

More trip planning in the afternoon and we are slightly further advanced about where we might take off to in July. It did indeed rain momentarily in the middle of the afternoon but came out hot again. Summer definitely seems just around the corner and temperatures are in the 20s.

We have to get on and sort a builder to come and look at the leak in our roof. The ceiling in the mezzanine is covered with mould in one corner. The builder who constructed it, and has been back three times at our request to try and remedy the leak, has failed miserably. It is worse than ever. Our co-proprietary has insurance for the building so we should be able to work in with this. 

There is obvious evidence that the English woman below us (plus her 3 horrible dogs) is moving out. The stairs are now harbouring boxes, suitcases and rugs. Great news. Hopefully all 4 will depart within the next few days and we won't have to hear loud vicious barking every time we use the stairwell. It's rather unnerving. We are planning to email the new buyer and offer our services of helping her with a builder (not our one), electrician, plumber and so on so she can crack on with her renovations as soon as she wishes. She's an interior designer and are told is planning to do a complete makeover.

19 May - Market Day

The market this year looks to have improved on previous years. There seem to be more small artisanal stalls, such as a wider range of cheeses, not that we buy them often as they are very much more expensive than at the supermarket cheese counters. There are also more fruit, veg and other food suppliers.

The fresh fruit and veges are just excellent, and we eat quite differently to in New Zealand. At the moment the asparagus is great, there are strawberries and cherries in, the first of the rockmelons have arrived, and there are small and tasty apricots. We've taken to buying a bunch of mint for Moroccan-style mint tea, and at this time of the year it is so green and fresh.

In town this year are a couple more new bistro-style cafes, one specialising in oysters and the other in tapas platters. They are a welcome addition. Meanwhile our once-favourite bar, Bar le Pablo, is slipping down the ranks. Despite perhaps the best position in the town, and pretty good coffee, the staff are lacklustre and the house wine consistently dreadful. The reduced patronage there shows it's clearly losing ground to more go-ahead establishments.

We've been welcomed back by many people, both local French residents and ex-pats. It's very nice to be hailed in the street, or greeted with a big smile by our local baker or real estate agent. We are really chuffed by how friendly everyone has been that we have run into so far, whether it's our car insurer, a notaire (lawyer), bakers, tourist info receptionist, neighbours and friends. We are already feeling so much more relaxed here and are very much looking forward to the next few months here.

One thing we have noticed on our walks is the wonderful array of spring flowers. Roses are everywhere, both in gardens and in the wild. The fields are filled with red poppies and also yellow and white daisies. It really is a delight to be here at this time of year.

Beautiful rose bushes are in bloom everywhere

I had a lazy afternoon watching the TV coverage of Harry and Megan's wedding. John was not so keen but the FA Cup Final a few hours later was a little faster paced. Our son-in-law will be gutted that Manchester United didn't win. A bit of rain, thunder and lightning this afternoon made our apartment seem very cosy indeed.

17-18 May - Car and La Gruta

We'd been invited to a friend's 70th lunch at La Gruta restaurant at L'Escala, Costa Brava (Spain) on Friday, so we needed to collect our car. We slept in a bit, still catching up a bit from the change of time zone, breakfasted and went for a walk.

Collecting the car meant a trip to Le Boulou, so after lunch we jumped on the 1 Euro bus and found our way to the garage where we store it. There's always a fraught moment after I reconnect the battery and turn the key to start it, but yet again our little Matrix didn't let us down. The Hotel Richelieu was closed, so we couldn't pay the garage owner for the storage - so another day. We normally give it a wash and tyre pressure check at the gas station of Intermarche, but the carwash was broken, the vacuum was broken and the tyre pump was broken!

We picked up a few things at Intermarche, then since we had the car out we thought we'd do a shop at the rebuilt Lidl at Reynes. Cunningly it is next door to Peugeot where we have had the aircon gas refilled in the past, which yet again was necessary. Leaving a car unused for 6 months isn't great for aircon systems. The garage was able to do the refill straight away, so we did a good shop next door at Lidl. Like last year, we were amazed by how cheap food is there, especially compared to New Zealand. The rebuilt shop was way larger, with a better range than previously, and we bought a few more cheeses to make sure we had enough in the fridge. We may have overdone it, but at only 7-13 Euros a kilo, we couldn't resist!

From France, Spain and Italy. Cow, sheep and goat milk. None over $20/kg

New Zealand sauvignon blanc and pinot noir at Lidl

Some excellent news regarding the apartment below us. It was owned by a somewhat eccentric Englishwoman, who occasionally resided there with several dogs. She's always been very slow paying her share of the building expenses such as insurance, and had her services cut off last year. She appears to have taken up permanent residence recently, complete with 2 small and 1 large dogs, all three of which go completely insane every time we pass outside their door. However, there was a Vendu (sold) sign on the balcony, and we confirmed with the agency that yes, she has sold up, with possession in mid-July to an English female interior decorator. Apparently the current owner is living in the apartment without either water or electricity. How that works with 3 dogs makes us cringe. We won't miss her and her animals, not one tiny bit.

Friday was the trip to L'Escala for our friend's lunch. It's an hour from Ceret, a little more if one doesn't take the toll roads. We enjoy the walk between L'Escala and Sant Marti, along the beach track, so arrived several hours early and parked in L'Escala. The walk was great, though we were very peckish by the time we reached L'Escala - being Spain, lunch wasn't until 1:30, which is actually a pretty early sitting. One of the things we most look forward to on the Costa Brava is the seafood, particularly the tiny cuttlefish known as chipirones and some small fish known as sand-eels (they are not actually eels) or sonsos. We therefore sat down at Sant Marti for a coffee and beer, and a small plate of chipirones. Divine!

Beachfront at L'Escala

Back at L'Escala, lunch was superb. A big step up from almost all the restaurants in Ceret, but similar price. That's the advantage of Spain.

We are hugely enjoying being back. We always find it very relaxing being here. Life takes place from day to day. For example, because everything is so convenient, we often only decide on meals an hour beforehand. 

15-16 May - First Days in Ceret

How nice to get back to Ceret! The apartment was just as we left it, though last year's fix for the persistent roof leak had clearly not done its job. Power on, water on, shutters open and we were in business. It was a delight how quickly we were back in French mode and ready to get on with life here.

We've got our travelling down pretty pat, and reinstalling ourselves in our French apartment is a quick and nearly painless process, so by dinnertime we were pretty much sorted and ready to enjoy our European sojourn.

I had popped out to pick up a baguette and made a simple but late lunch using a few things we had left in our cupboard, as there is no way to buy things like cheese or tomatoes at lunchtime in Ceret! We made a small start on unpacking, but Karen needed a catch-up snooze while I went out to do the starter shopping run. I collected the French basics like Roquefort, Comte, chevre, Camembert and Emmental cheeses, some veges and fruit, eggs, milk and fromage blanc for our breakfast. Non-essentials could wait.

In the afternoon we did a bit of tidying away of what we'd brought with us, and moved our clothes back into our bedroom - we pack them away in case we get Airbnb guests while we are away over winter. With having a late lunch, we also had a late dinner then retired early to catch up on some sleep. We don't normally get jet-lagged, but there's no way not to be underdone with sleep when travelling. In France we are near on opposite times than in New Zealand - day = night, so it takes a few days to adjust.

We slept OK considering the time zone changes, and rather than our normal habit of a walk before breakfast, we chose to have a cup of tea and then breakfast in bed. After the business of our 5 months back in New Zealand, it felt quite surreal to wake up in France and not have plans for the week, let alone the day ahead. This is the first time we've been here without specific things we have to do - renovations, work, writing, whatever.

For our first walk we chose the route that takes us out into the fields to the north of the town. Spring had clearly been very fruitful here - growth is phenomenal and the fields were a real picture.

Local field of poppies

It had apparently been an odd spring, with more rain than usual, but one week of abnormally high temperatures. As a result the cherries are 2 weeks later than normal, but different varieties are maturing earlier or later than expected. We were able to confirm that yes, some are indeed ready for eating!

The cherries are ready!

We can't remember such a green spring. It is lovely being here in such a distinctive season. We are most used to the dry hot summers, so starting the year with the freshness and greenness of spring is a treat.

Lunch was what we've been waiting for since leaving - crispy baguette, French cheeses and fresh tomato and peppers. It's hard to beat. The only problem is that you can never eat enough bread to try out all the cheeses.

May 13, 14 & 15 Queenstown to Ceret

A 2-hour flight from Queenstown to Auckland and we were in settled in the airport hotel by late afternoon on Saturday. Savouring the quiet time (sans grandchildren) we nipped out for a quick Indian/Chinese meal and were asleep before 9pm to try and stock up on some sleep.

The Southern Alps north of Queenstown

My sister was planning to come to our airport hotel at 9am, and she was bang on time. We loaded our backpacks in her nippy little car and drove the 10 minutes to the nearest cafe for some breakfast. It was really good to catch up with her again. We had a fun few hours before she dropped us off at the airport at 11am, in good time for checkin and security for our 2:30pm flight.

Checkin for Qatar was hopeless. Each group took a good 10 minutes, and despite us being quite early in the internet-checked-in queue, it was 45 minutes before we were through. Every second person, including us, seemed to require a supervisor to come along and make some decisions. In our case they got worried about our long-stay French visas, and required proof we had actually booked transport into France from Barcelona. Incorrect, as a French visa is a Schengen visa, valid for any and all countries in the Schengen area.

Onto the plane and we had chosen seats in the central block so we were free to get up and down as we liked. It worked out well. Despite the seemingly horrendous 17 hours and 50 minutes scheduled for the flight, the time went quickly and we landed in Doha in remarkably quick time. There isn't quite as much room as on Emirates' 380s, but it was comfortable and neither of us found the flight too long. Meals were not quite up to Emirates either, but better than our recent Air NZ and Air France flights.

I'd been gifted a cold by the grandchildren (as always), but a spray doser of Otrivin bought in Auckland kept me clear and fit for the flight.

We'd been very quickly through Doha airport 18 months ago, but had no time at all to check it out. This time however we had ample - 9 hours! It's a pleasant airport, remarkably quiet overnight, and we took advantage of a "quiet room" to get another couple of hours sleep under our belt, initially on their banana loungers and then on the carpet where we could lie totally flat. It seemed to take no time until we were heading for our plane again.

The Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Barcelona was only memorable for the worst airline meal we've had for years. Breakfasts are almost always dreadful, with bland solid sausages and rubber eggs. This one however took rubber to a whole new level with the so-called scrambled egg being almost entirely solid, as well as tasteless. It was served with a miserable vaguely diamond-shaped object which was called a croissant, but bore no relation to the real thing. For some reason, there was an accompanying sickly-sweet lemon spongecake thing too. For breakfast? Note to self - try to book flights which will be serving lunch or dinner, never "breakfast".

The flight was delayed taking off, and hence arrived a little late into Barcelona. We got through immigration in an instant, but the bags took ages to arrive. We knew that getting to the bus we had booked instead of the train (cancelled due to French railways strikers) was always going to be a bit tight, but the delays meant there was no longer any way we'd make it on time. In 5 minutes I was able to get on the airport wifi, cancel and rebook the Flixbus for the following morning, and book a reasonable room close to the Estacio del Nord where the bus left from. Internet and cellphones are a wonderful combination. We were not at all concerned - it certainly took the pressure off trying to get to the bus.

We used the subway to get to the Arc de Triomf locality for the Estacio del Nord bus terminal, to make for an easy exit from Barcelona the next morning. The hotel was budget but clean, had a very comfortable bed and was all we needed for our very brief stay. A small tapas meal and Estrella beer at a bar nearby was perfect before hitting the sack at 8;30pm. We both slept well.

The Arc de Triomf, which gives its name to the locality

One thing that really grabbed our attention as we wandered around the locality was the number of cyclists around. There is a great network of cycle lanes, physically separated from cars on the roadways, and they were full of cyclists riding either the standard urban pick-up/drop-off bikes, or their own commuter bike (conventional or electric), electric scooter or even electric skateboard. They were everywhere, and great to see.

Our bus on arrival at Perpignan Gare

The bus turned out to be excellent. Modern, smooth and very comfortable, and only half the cost of the TGV, though an hour slower. Way faster than a train on strike though! A bonus was on-board free wifi. It is a more interesting trip than the train, partly because it is a little slower, but also because the road route seems a bit more interesting than where the train goes. Into Perpignan at 11:45, and a short wait for the 1E bus to Ceret. Finally into Ceret about 1:30pm, some 60 hours of travelling from leaving Queenstown! Our longest ever.

May 6-12 Queenstown with Family

Our daughter had booked a week in Queenstown for a family break, and had kindly invited us to join in. Most unfortunately, a change of job for Nic meant he would be in Singapore for a training course. The Queenstown stay actually set the date for our departure this year, as leaving from Queenstown via Auckland would get us into Ceret a week before the always-enjoyable May cherry festival - a perfect time to arrive when the strawberries and cherries would be coming in!

Seeing Bella and the grandchildren was great. We saw them last at my mother's early 80th celebration in Hanmer some three months ago, and Violet had gone from a little baby to a busy crawler and stander. So nice being with everyone. We went for walks through the town, looking at the galleries, feeding the ducks. We went up the gondola for the view back over Queenstown, and out to the the pretty little village of Arrowtown not far from Queenstown. The autumn colours on the hills were remarkable. We even went to show Rosie the bungy jumpers at the Kawarau Gorge site, but the wind was fierce there and there was nobody jumping.

Gondola ride

Queenstown waterfront

Feeding the ducks on Queenstown waterfront

Trolling through Arrowtown

Despite a pessimistic weather forecast the week before, our time in Queenstown was typically sunny, though with a little rain and sometimes a cold wind. Nic's mother also stayed for the first four days. She engineered a visit to the farm of one of her nieces, over an hour's drive away. Rosie's highlight for that day was sitting astride a pony. A fair number of photographs were taken! John and I looked after Violet for the day. She was a delight. We popped her in the pushchair and she was very happy throughout the 30 minute walk into town, required coffee stop (not for Violet we might add), walk around town and back to the hotel. We really felt as though we were getting to know her personality. The others arrived back about 5pm, with Rosie bubbling over about her horse-riding experience.

The following day we jumped on the Earnslaw for the 1.5 hour trip to Walter Peak Station and back, then off to Jack's Point for lunch. This is the golf course on the Frankton side of the lake. Wonderful views backing onto the Remarkables. Lunch was delicious. As always, we tried to get back to the apartment by around 2pm so the kiddies could have their afternoon sleep.

Earnslaw trip

Jack's Point with the Remarkables in the background

Our last full day on Friday saw us driving to Cromwell mid-morning. A quick walk around the historic area and checking out the hungry ducks, then a special treat of lunch at Mt Difficulty Winery. What a splendid location. Stunning views over the valley, filled with yellow and red-leaved trees, and snow on the mountains in the background. It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful week with Bella and the children.

Mt Difficulty winery

Saturday was departure day, but not before Bella and I sneaked into town for a couple of hours in the morning for an early Mother's Day coffee and cake. We had a lovely quiet time together - a rare event and all the nicer for it. We managed to fit everyone and gear back into the car and get to the airport in time for the car drop-off at 1pm. With everyone checked in and bags deposited, it was time to say farewell. We are already planning a quick turnaround on about the 4th of November when John and I fly back into Auckland, and then fly back out to Melbourne a few days after to spend time with the family again. The girls are growing up so quickly. Violet decided to climb up stairs for the first time during the week at the hotel, she's pulling herself along furniture, is pretty fast when crawling and I doubt is far off taking her first real steps. Rosie is a real character, pushing the boundaries like any 3-year old will do, and is a lot of fun. Bella is in a very happy space and loving being a Mum.

If you didn't know how the Chinese have changed tourism worldwide, you only had to be in Queenstown this week. The town was absolutely full of Chinese, despite it being off-peak tourist season. Where once you might have seen Japanese signage, it's all Chinese now. On the Earnslaw, we were one of only perhaps 3 European groups - everyone else of the several hundred passengers was Chinese. It felt very odd being in the minority in our own country - we're used to it overseas, but back in NZ, definitely odd. We've noticed how overall tourist numbers worldwide have massively increased now that the Chinese and also Indian economies are booming. Every country we've been in, with the possible exception of previous Eastern-bloc ones like Poland and Czechia, now have a much wider range of tourists than they used to, and in places like Barcelona, there are just too many tourists overall for comfort. It's easy to see why some places are beginning to rail against tourism. I wonder how long before New Zealand feels overwhelmed.